Women and the Fans...

[gen_is_gone]

So, it isn't Monday, but who's up for a little discussion anyway? Namely, about some of the women on our show. Now, I've been following recent ep discussion posts and I'm noticing a few strange similarities between fan reaction to Hotch's new jogging partner,(and now girlfriend) Beth and former co-star Ashley Seaver, played by Rachel Nichols. Now,

Comments

[lights]

I never cared one way or another about Haley or Jordan Todd. I had no problem with Ashley as a character, but her introduction felt really forced & like a bad fanfiction, where she has this ~magical power~ to understand serial killers with families like nobody else in the history of the entire world.

You're right, there isn't a lot to Beth and yes, character development does happen over time... but with every other character that we've been introduced to & has lasted, you learned things really early on. Rossi, Emily, Kevin, Will -- they were all immediately identifiable and memorable to me. I can't honestly even remember what Beth looks like outside of the show, and there's nothing about her character that sticks with me, and I don't really care enough to look for more, you know?

[aim2misbhave]

I wasn't a huge fan of Haley, but I'm not really a huge fan of Will or any of the other secondary characters anyways. Maybe I just don't have the attention span for stories that long? But I did have hopes for Ashley and Jordan, and I like Emily - for some reason, though, I never liked Elle very much. Can't figure out why.

But I do agree that the female characters in this fandom tend to get an absurd amount of hate. Not the worst I've ever seen, but a completely unwarranted amount.

[charlsie_esq]

I'm coming out from lurking to respond to this comment. I am guilty of the girl-hate. I was indifferent to Haley, to add the truth, I felt like she was the character that put what the team did in a real-world context. Haley was all, yes I know my husband saves people, but I want him at home for dinner. I resented her for not being more understanding but I could put myself in her shoes. I was indifferent to Ashley because the character felt unfinished. I thought the actress was poor but the character didn't give her much to work with. I hated Elle. I thought she was obnoxious and I felt the same way about Jordan. I didn't like JJ until Season 7, before that, I felt like she was window dressing. I loved Strauss, she was a great villain/foil. I loved Emily on sight. I felt like she was strong and intelligent and brought so many special skills to the team. I love her interaction with Morgan. She was just the first female character that I felt was on par with the guys and not fluff. I love Garcia for all her quirkiness. Your post made me

[leianora]

Oh... thank you! thank you! Thank you!

I so totally agree with this that it's making me grin like a shark. I felt really sorry for the girl who played Ashley because of all the crap that she was getting. Ugh! I would so hate to be an actor in this show!

[philstar22]

This post hits my feelings so well. I've never hated a single CM character. I love Emily. I liked Elle. I was neutral to JJ for a while, but I never disliked her, and she grew on me. I found Ashley intriguing and liked her as much as I could with what little we got. I was neutral to Jordan Todd. I liked Haley. I think Beth is adorable, and since she is making Hotch happy that makes me happy. Not sure we've gotten enough yet for it to be active like of her, but I certainly don't dislike her.

And I agree that there does seem to be a double standard in the fandom. Although, I think some of it does have to do with inconsistent writing sometimes on the show when it comes to women. But not to the extent that the hatred of female characters in the fandom would make it seem, not by a long shot.